Title:InterviewerJob Description: A forum regular who has a good understanding of the community, and who can select people that the community would like to hear from in an interview. This person would be able to take interviews to a whole new level and to add that extra touch.

The overall aim of the Interviewer would be to provide interesting interviews that engage the audience on a whole new level.

Title:Tournament ReporterJob Description: A tournament regular who has been involved in either organising or playing in a tournament. Who doesn't restate what the Tournament Newsletter already covers, but rather provides a different experience. Perhaps by spotlighting a tournament and doing a profile on a particularly well run tournament. As well as reporting on any new features and/or announcements that come from the tournament forum.

The overall aim of the Tournament Reporter is to better inform the community at large in order to encourge member involvment in the tournament society.

Title:Community Opinion ReporterJob Description: This person would be required to gather opinions from the CC community, through the use of Polls and Discussions in the forums, about issues regarding ConquerClub, and it's practices. In order to form an accurate representation of the Opinion of the ConquerClub Community.

The overall aim of the Community Opinion Reporter is to communicate the opinions of the ConquerClub Community about topics regarding the practices of CC and any important topics currently circulating CC.

Title:Free-Range WritersJob Description: These writers would be able to write about whatever interests them in CC. They are let loose into the Community to seek out interesting things to talk about. They can write about whatever they want within the constraints of this site obviously.

The overall aim of the Free-Range Writer is to engage the community with interesting articles about a variety of things that interest them.

If interested in any of the ^^ above positions, please fill out the simple form below and send it via PM to samuelc812.

This section helps you the member gain a little more understanding about Team CC and parts of the site that you may be unclear with. Note: The views expressed in the article are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily express the views of the other moderators or administrators.

bedub1 wrote:Is there a list someplace of who all the mods are and what they do?

Yep. The Team link at the bottom of the forum contains a list of every member who has forum tools in a forum that you can see. Unfortunately, the Chatters are unable to be seen because they do not moderate a public forum. For them you'll have to look within the group itself, which are all listed under the list of online users.

bedub1 wrote:is there a list someplace of who all has been banned from CC?

Yes and no. All the moderators have a tool that records disciplinary information. That tool is searchable by recent entries or by player names. There is not a list that shows everybody who is currently on a forum/chat/website vacation or ban, but the individual players can be researched. (And no, you can not go around bugging moderators for information on other players.)

bedub1 wrote:Can we see performance Statistics of CC, like how many people join each month, how many go premium each month, what percentage of new accounts are multis, how many people stop playing each month, how long does the average user remain on CC, etc etc etc?

Lack has access to many stats as webmaster that nobody else has access to, not even moderators and maybe even admins. And I'm pretty sure he won't publicize many of those (especially the number of premium purchases) because he has no reason to. This is a private business after all.

bedub1 wrote:Can I get free premium?

Maybe if someone is kind enough to buy it for you. I'm not.

bedub1 wrote:If a mod bans somebody, and nobody is around to see it, does it make a sound?

In reality, nobody is around to see a member get banned because it's a private act. Of course, sometimes those private acts are heard by the neighbors.

I know you are all over the world... but do any of you have already met in person?

I've never met any other moderator in person, but I have had a few phone or voice chats with a few. I know lack has met a few, and several have attended the RISK Tournament of Champions. Sully800 and Steelhorse I know have been.

I will answer more questions next issue. If you would like to submit a question, please post them in the Ask A Mod thread.

It's been a strangely quiet time in the tournament forums lately. I guess it's the summer vacation lull right before the new school year starts. We're only at about 30 recruiting tournaments right now, so if you have a good idea in mine, I encourage you to start up your own tournament in the Create/Join A Tournament Forum. Remember though to not bite off more than what you can chew: we don't want anyone to abandon a tournament.

I did make a slight modification to the Tournament Privilege Request form. I've seen an increase in the number of organizers requesting privileges for a co-organizer recently. The only problem is that most of these have been simple 1 game bracket rounds and/or only had 16 or 32 players. We only give out multiple privileges to those tournaments that are very large (like an entire MLB season or a 256-player bracket where each round has at least 3 games). If you are a relatively new organizer and feel that you need help running your tournament, we still encourage you to get advice from other members. We just won't give those other members tournament privileges. I hope everyone understands the rationale. You can read about it here.

After some months passed splitting his time between the Foundry and his duties as Chief Moderator, our Alpha Monkey, AndyDufresne has resigned from his position as Foundry Foreman. We are all grateful for his help and the time he dedicated to the foundry, and we know that despite of his many commitments, he will always find a couple of minutes to look throught the foundry from the top of his palm.

On the other side MrBenn was promoted to fill the Foundry Foreman position and I know he will guide the Cartographers Team, all the Foundry Assistants and the whole Foundry into new waters.The only black mark for all of us, who used to attract Andy with a banana, is that bowlers are more expensive.

Finally myself (thenobodies80). I'm very happy for my new position and i'd like to thank you all for the friendly welcome. Anyway, the summer is almost over and we are preparing bags to go back to our day-to-day life...The foundry is ready for a new sprint and with the new european headquarter many things are in the pipeline.

The CC activity in the last few weeks of August are generally very quiet. As players prepare to go back to school, and in some cases have moved away from home to do so, tournaments and the forums areas tend to slow down a bit. One area of the site that has not slowed at all is the Clan area. With Season 1 ending at the end of June and the Season 2 starting early September, many clans have taken the opportunity to engage in a clan war or two in July and August. Last summer there were 3 clans wars, whereas this summer has seen 15 completed clan wars and 11 currently in progress. Always a good challenge to be had.

This summer has also seen a number of new clans form to participate in the action and a few breakaway clans from other clans look to change the landscape of the upper echelon of clans. A couple of clans that people have been talking about are The Odd Fellows Union (primarily ex-Legends of War players), Dragon Lazorz Pew Pew, and Knights of the Round Table (ex-Immortal Assassin players). These clans are all participating in Season 2 of the Clan League and look to leave their mark so keep an eye out for this group.

Looking toward Season 2 of the Clan League, Division 1 is stacked with great clans and will be extremely competitive. Division 2 features 2 of the clans to watch and also has a few dark horses. Brethren of the Fat Mermaid and Grim Reapers have a number of solid players and up and coming clans like Outlaws & Highwaymen and Agents Of Chaos look to continue their winning ways. Four to Six clans can be promoted to Division 1 for Season 3, so don't be surprised if they are the clans I've listed here. If you are not currently in a clan, have a look at the clans out there and join in on the fun.

A: Okay, when i agreed to this interview, i knew this topic would come up, so please, after i answer this question, then NO MORE questions about maps, okay? Promise me this.

All right, here's my answer, i love the classics, classic movies, classic cars, classic homes... so it only makes sense that i'd love the classic map...but seriously, despite my reputation, I actually HAVE played other maps, and funny enough, i have higher win rates on them... but i enjoy playing classic, perhaps it's because i can find opponents with high skill on this map, which helps to make this a very hard map to win on... Satisfied? Okay, remember, we agreed, NO MORE questions about maps.

Q: Why all the images in the post?

A: Oh yeah,,, hehee,,, well, Images are just another way to communicate... don't get me wrong, i LOVE words, but sometimes a point can be made far better with an image... it's really that simple.

Q: What is the naughtiest thing you have ever done?

A: HA! are there ever stories i could tell... but lets do a reality check... you don't really expect me to answer that... now do you?

Q: May i first say that i know you to be a complex, sophisticated and high-minded individual. A person more in tune with the cerebral than the aesthetic, more impressed by the artful than the superficial! Now within that context and in this place where you have only the scent of an intellect; the fragmented and ever-changing aura through which to fill the gaps and form a cohesive judgement upon true persona.... based on that, would you do JohnnyRocket24?

Q: Is there a particular image site you repeatedly go to for your images, or do you just use search engines?

A: you mean other than my own personal rooms of file cabinets full of pics? lol...well, mostly it's just firefox driven google image searches, the trick is finding the right key words.

Q: Of all your posts, what are the top couple of favorites, if you have any?

A: heheee... what a great question... The Escalating Story is one of my favorites... It's all from the perspective of a single reinforcement who joins the game in the 4th round and is located away from action. A WWII Navy tribute to my father, actually.

And I had a lot of fun with my 500th Party... Especially near the end...

ConquerClub-at-Arms was fun too, since i let the readers help direct the story... This was a WWI memorial day tribute.

Q: If you were in a position to do so, what 2 things would you do to help the site grow and become a more fun place?

A: You mean other than have a classic map with actual geographic locations, aka = a MAP of PLACES...

well, the 1st thing i would do here is add another game option allowing initial deployment to better match the original rules... One army per random country instead of three, and then sequential deployment from there to a set number of armies. Would dramatically change the way escalating games develop.

You said 2 things, right? Okay, so the 2nd thing i'd do is to create separate scoreboards for the major categories here...

whoo hoo... That was actually 3 things...

Q: Once more, for old time's sake, could you tell us the stories of your card & dice hacks?

A: lol... ah yes... those were good, weren't they... would you believe i am still on many a foe list by those that bought it hook, line, and sinker... lol... people really thought i was hacking to get an extra card, or to change one of my die to a 6... i mean seriously, the game engine simply can't do those things... i will tell you though, that the hack i did do was sooo much work, and yet all i was ever able to accomplish was changing the color of one of my cards, lol... It's still worth doing in some intense games, but overall, it's just not worth the effort... besides, i never could control what color the card would change into, just that it would be reselected...

Q: If someone held a gun to your head and demanded an answer, what's your favorite non-classic (non-shapes and non-art as well) map?

A: first things first... a swift kick to the balls just took care of that gun to my head...okay... now what was the question again? oh right... favorite non-classic map... I thought we agreed there would be NO MORE questions about maps... all right, i'll answer this one, but i'm serious, NO MORE questions about maps after this, okay.

Favorite non-classic map.... Well, there is only one that i've played more than 10 times, which is North America... 39% win rate too... The next most frequent map is middle east, I've played that one only 10 times and have a 60% win rate... Gotta love that! i've enjoyed both those maps... along with some of the others that i've only played a few times...

Q: If I told you that CC could have the true-blue classic map back, but you could only play one game a month, would you accept that bargain?

A: Oh you did NOT just ask me that... My god man... You are so not listening to me... I said NO MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT MAPS...Do YOU need to be kicked in the balls?Next Question.

Q: Is it true that you were picked for an interview because you were least likely to rehash talking about DM, T-o-m, Norse and the rest of the banned?

A: Well actually, i hear tell it's because Blitz keeps turning them down... he's such a recluse y'know...

Q: If you could magically create a new feature on CC at no cost and with no effort, what would it be?

A: ummm... that's easy... better interview questions!

Q: How does it feel being CC's number 2 self-promoter, 2nd only to Blitz?

A: Self promoter? What kinda lame-o question is that? You'd be better off asking me about top 5 lists... Next Question.

Q: How much time do you actually spend thinking of ways to include yourself in top 5 lists?

A: LOL, i was kidding... you didn't really need to ask me about the top 5 lists. I don't think i'm at the top of any of them actually. I was the 2nd to break 3000 in under 200 games, but that would be a First-5. And I was the 10th overall to ever break 3000, but it's not a top-10 list either... I was 4th on the scoreboard for quite some time, but there's no list for that... lol... honestly, i think there's a conspiracy to tweek the list requirements just to keep me off... well, lucky for me my self-esteem is not at all effected by these top 5 lists... I just play for fun.

Q: If the conquerclub ever disappeared, what would you do for self-esteem?

A: LOL, odd question considering my win rate.... or should i say my LOSE rate... My self esteem is just fine with a 70% LOSE rate, so I think if CC were gone and I put more time into my other interests it would pan out to more winning.... but if the question has to do with gaming, the only other game i play on-line is Chess, so i'd likely play a bit more of that.

Q: How do you always maintain your high caliber of professionalism, no matter what the situation, and post the damn funniest, most appropriate pictures, with every thread?

mnnnn,,, that looks like a trick question... i'm gonna leave that one alone...

Okay, We have time for ONE more...

Q: Why do the mods seem to allow you to troll the GD relentlessly, while other users are constantly getting banned for it?

A: oh that... lol.. there is actually a very complex explanation for that...And i would simply LOVE to explain it to you...However...WE'RE ALL OUT OF TIME...

Q: Thanks for your time Robinette

bye bye

Title: “The Big Lebowski And There Is a Piscis* In My Under-Garment!” *Piscis is Latin for fish... just to be a pretentious little snot!By: elfish_lad

The Battle of the Titans:One of the things I do when I’m new to a site like this is read through the forums. Okay. Not every post. I have a life. But the topics. I scan through them for titles that might be helpful to me as a new guy. Titles of sub forums and threads that read: “Hey Newt! I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a LONG time!!!” tend to grab my eye. If you are a recruit I highly recommend this between turns. What do you have to lose? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Niddle. It kills time and you might just save yourself from walking into furniture in the dark while sleep-walking in a strange apartment. But maybe you like thatsort of thing.

As I’ve been reading for awhile some names keep popping up. So I’ve checked them out. Watched some of their games unfold. That’s been helpful too. Click onto the leader board and bring up some of the games some of the top few hundred have played recently. Pretty interesting to glance through the game summary between turns and see who did what to whom. Okay. I’m an Elf and a geek.

Anywho...

I was clicking on some of the games involving some of the top players when I ran across this:

I blinked. A couple of times. I had just finished reading a series of older posts from some of the mid- ranked players who were talking about how frustrated they get playing guys like me (guys like me, who... sad to say... don’t really have much of a clue yet) and how tough it was to get a fair game with equally ranked players. Huh. I thought that’s what the “call-out” chat and forum thread were for... but the Newt-Elf digresses. Then I ran across this “invite only” game with five generals and a marshal and thought “sweet mother of the person who made” I think we’ve got game! And it hadn’t even started yet. Right on man this is cool. I chose to follow along for the course of the game.

I’m appreciative to the maker(s) of this site that there isn’t a side bar that reads: “Elf, the newt, who none of you know, just popped in and is a peeping Tom in this game... you may want to boot him!” And then there’s Elf, little yellow boots kicking furiously as he’s tossed unceremoniously from the room. Phew. Not here at CC I’ll tell ya! But you’ll also note the wisdom of the Elf in the chat log... I didn’t jump in with “hey top players here at CC I’m your fan and I’m thrilled to be here and I would love to have your autograph.” Sycophant I’m not. And neither should you be. Cause the synonym of sycophant is toady. And toads give you warts. True story.

The game went back and forth. Forth and back. Got a bit chippy. Nothing wrong with that. Part of enjoyable competition. This ain’t checkers with your auntie.

In the end there are a couple of things I thought about coming out of this game:

a) These folks are good. They see the board. They sense what is coming. They overcome bad dice. They adjust to the play of others. Like the game of hearts (card game) they know when to form temporary alliances, when to keep silent, and are willing to take the heat for their decisions. My guess is that they are right where they should be: at the top of the board.

b) I’m glad I’ll get the chance to play them. Not that any of the top players would go out of their way to play a game with me in it saying: “Oooooh! There’s The Elf! I think I’ll put my points on the line with him!!!” I’m not a TOTAL idiot. I understand the math here. But I think it takes a very good player to adjust to a game with a guy like me (who is VERY good at this type of game in RL with his 12 year-old nephew but is still learning the CC way and maps) and still win. So I’mglad for the hope. That one day, when I’ve booted up the Vancouver map (is that coming out soon btw?!?!), set the settings I like and wait for players to join I might just see a four star general in the room, smoking a cigar and scowling at me from behind a howitzer. Ride-own!

My first rating:I got my first rating the other day. Dang. Double-dang. Got hammered by a player. He/she was right of course. I sucked. But I felt like I was in grade-three again: Elf! I TOLD you... how many times... count them on your fingers... that’s right... four... NOT to eat the finger paint!!

Flip!

I appreciated (seriously) the note from CC when my first rating came:

“Hey Elf! Congrats! You got your first rating! Way to go! You’ve passed your first mile-stone at CC!”

I smiled when I read it. Like my little son did. When his mom and I danced around the toilet after his first bowel-movement: “Way to go little Elffie you did it!” and then, latter that day, he left a large trout in his pants. The look on his facewas like: What? What?!?! I have to use the toilet every time!! That was the second part of CC’s note of course: “If you got a sucky rating... don’t forget to flush!!”

Man. I tried in that game too. I really did. But at a certain point in that game I was like a kid in a Large Swedish Furniture Store who gets separated from mom and looks up at the woman whose hand he just grabbed and goes: BY THE POWER OF GRAY SKULL TELL ME WHERE MY FREAKIN’ MOTHER IS!! Panic. Armies to the left of me. Armies to the right. Here I am stuck with myself and no clue. It happens to us question marks and chef’s hats folks. Be patient with us. A couple of us might evenlearn!!

Sincerely,Elf... whose still lovin’ and learn’ baby!

Stay Tuned for the next issue of the Conquer Club Newsletter for an interview with glide! Post the questions for glide's interview in this thread --> Interview with glide

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